In the sixth installment of our Bison Summer Series, football senior Trey Johnson shares his experience as an Admissions Ambassador and student researcher in the Psychology Department.

This summer, I am working as an Admissions Ambassador and as a student researcher in the Psychology Department.

This is my second summer working in the Bucknell Admissions Office. As an Admissions Ambassador, I take high school students and their families on a campus tour, which I base on my perspective as a Division I student-athlete. My goal is to enlighten them on all of the opportunities Bucknell has to offer and share some of my favorite aspects of the campus. Not only do I get to teach visiting families about the university, I also get to learn more about Bucknell myself.

I always had interest in conducting research in the Psychology Department, and, fortunately, I came across an opportunity this summer. Dr. Jasmine Mena is a professor who is a well-known researcher in her field of Multicultural Psychology. After taking a multicultural research methods course with Dr. Mena, I was inspired to work under her as a research assistant.

I also spend countless hours focused on my very own research. I submitted a research proposal application to become a Bucknell University Emerging Scholar. The Emerging Scholars Program granted me an award, which allows me to receive a monthly stipend and free summer housing.

My research is currently titled “Black Students at a PWI.” As a black student, I am curious why black undergraduate students choose to attend predominately white institutions (PWIs). My goal during the summer is to complete a literature review that will provide context to my questions of interest. After analyzing numerous studies, research suggests there are multiple deciding factors for black students. Certain studies also focus on the high rates of black students leaving PWIs, and there are various factors that contribute to this phenomenon. For unhappy black students who choose stay, I am curious why they are willing to sacrifice their psychological wellbeing for a PWI education.

I am excited to continue my research into the fall and spring semesters, and I will eventually conduct on-campus interviews with black-identifying Bucknell students in hopes of understanding their motivation and what we can do as a PWI to better their student experience.

A Psychology major, Johnson is a two-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. He enters his senior season with 25 tackles in 33 career games. Heavily involved on campus, he is also a Congressional Member of BSU (Black Student Union) and LACOS. In 2015, he was a member of the team that won BizPitch with Flip ‘n Flate.

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